Leicester City were cruelly knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Friday night, although some players could hold their heads high.
Harry Maguire’s winner was blasted by Ruud van Nistelrooy as replays showed the defender was in an offside position to give United the lead.
It was ultimately a heartbreaking end to a largely positive night for Leicester City, who outfought and outclassed the hosts for most of the contest.
Wilfred Ndidi was quality against Man United on his return to the midfield while the likes of Bilal El Khannouss and Bobby De Cordova Reid were brilliant in attack.
Most surprisingly, though, Van Nistelrooy’s men looked a lot more solid at the back with Caleb Okoli in the side, and the statistics prove he’s arguably Leicester’s best defender.
Caleb Okoli is Leicester City’s best defender – the stats prove it
Okoli was linked with a transfer away from Leicester throughout the January window. It seemed inevitable that the Italian would leave the club behind after only signing for £13m in the summer.
However, the 23-year-old remained at the King Power Stadium and is now prepared to fight for his place in the side, something he demonstrated in the loss to United.
Jannik Vestergaard’s injury saw Okoli make his first start under Van Nistelrooy this term and he largely impressed, showcasing the pace and athleticism that his other teammates don’t possess.
Arguably, the youngster’s display alongside Wout Faes proved why he should start more often while his statistics across the season suggest he’s the best option.
| Caleb Okoli’s 2024/25 Premier League stats | Rank vs Leicester City centre-backs |
| 1.6 tackles per game | 1st |
| 0.9 interceptions per game | 1st (joint with Vestergaard) |
| 2.39 players tackled per game | 1st |
| 2.28 blocks per game | 1st |
| 6.41 clearances per game | 1st |
As delineated by the above table, Okoli stands out among his defensive peers across multiple key metrics. Some of that is due to him playing a lot in a more defensive-focused Steve Cooper side but he certainly has the best physical attributes of his teammates.
Ruud van Nistelrooy praises ‘excellent’ Okoli vs Man United
Having rarely featured under the Dutchman since joining the club, Van Nistelrooy sang Okoli’s praises after the game against Man United.
“Excellent. I thought the team defended as a unit and all the individual parts in how he wanted to press and how we wanted to defend certain phases was excellent in teamwork and in intensity and holding United far from our own box for a long period of the game,” Van Nistelrooy said via Leicestershire Live.
“Of course we know with their quality that they’re going to create something. But also lower, we defended really well. The back-line and centre-backs were important in that.”
Okoli’s performance was perhaps signified by an amazing goal-line clearance, as no one expected him to hook the ball away, displaying the athleticism that Leicester have missed and showing why he should start against Arsenal.